Chapter 23
Selene’s POV
The door
I was r
Freedom
right in front of me.
Escape.
But behind me-
Ethan’s hand still covered mine.
The door wouldn’t open.
And he wouldn’t step back.
We stayed frozen like that, breathing the same tense air, until the silence crackled almost unbearably between us.
My heart pounded against my ribs, wild and frantic.
I felt as if fireworks were exploding in my skull, one after another, scattering my thoughts into nothing but heat and noise.
My wolf shifted, pausing in her growl.
She liked him
Trusted him in ways I hadn’t even dared admit aloud yet.
“Strong mate,” she murmured.
“Good heart. Good mate, maybe.”
My face burned, but the knot in my chest loosened slightly.
How strange, that my soul recognized Ethan’s worth before I could fully admit it myself.
Behind me, Ethan remained still, except for the faint tremble of his fingertips against mine.
I could feel it
the desperation, the fear that if he let me go now, he would lose something he could never get back.
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to steady myself.
He swallowed hard, and when he finally spoke, his voice was raw
“Selene… about last night,” he said
“I know I crossed a line.”
His grip on my hand tightened almost imperceptibly, as if he feared I’d bolt before he could finish.
“I remember everything,” he said, voice rough
“It was me who pulled you back. It was me who… said those words.”
“I wasn’t drunk when I said I liked you,” he continued, rushing now, desperate to get it all out.
“I said it because it’s the truth
Bocuse I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time,”
He inhaled shaklly.
Chapter 22
13
MoboReels–Short Dram
“And now… sober, awake, and painfully aware, I’m asking you again-
Will
you stay by my
side?”
The words hung there, trembling between us.
I couldn’t breathe for a moment.
Then, gathering what little composure I had left, I whispered, “Could you… maybe back up a little first?”
The space was too tight.
His presence too overwhelming.
I needed room to think. To breathe.
Immediately, Ethan dropped his hand, retreating a few clumsy steps.
When I turned to face him, he looked so crestfallen, like a wolf pup abandoned in a storm.
His shoulders slumped.
His silver hair was a mess, sticking up in every direction, and his eyes
Those golden eyes, usually so sharp and composed, were now filled with an almost painful vulnerability.
I couldn’t help it.
I laughed.
Soft and helpless.
He blinked at me, bewildered, like he wasn’t sure whether to feel hopeful or heartbroken.
“I never said no, I teased lightly
Relief flooded his face so fast it was almost funny.
But still
he was cautious.
“You mean…?”
he started, hope blooming visibly across his features.
I thought back over the past year.
All the late nights.
All the quiet reassurances
All the times he had stood silently beside
me, never asking for anything in return.
When I faltered, he believed.
When I fell, he was the
there
I smiled, feeling the warmth of those memories till me.
I mean,” I said, my voice steady, “you’ll have to do better than a drunken confession to win me over.”
“No flowers, no fancy promises, just… you, reeking of ale and sleep.”
He flushed bright red, a sheepish grin tugging at his mouth.
“Noted,” he said, laughing under his breath
